


just a bit of kindness

by starkstower



Series: we're falling in love [3]
Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Disney, Enchanted AU, Evak - Freeform, Fluff, M/M, SKAM, SKAM - Freeform, isak and even - Freeform, isak is extremely cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-07 19:17:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11630151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkstower/pseuds/starkstower
Summary: "I didn't– I didn't know there were...""There were, what?""Gay princes""Hm?""Princes in love with other princes. I mean–""Oh, but, of course! Don't you, in this world?""Not necessarily princes, but yes. I guess""There's princes with princes, and princes with princesses, and princesses in love with other princesses""I feel dizzy""The only thing that matters, is love!"The Enchanted au absolutely no one asked for.





	1. a place where there's no happily ever afters

**Author's Note:**

> hello, hello. i came up with this after watching the movie and deciding that yes, i really would die for an enchanted evak au. so here it is! i hope you guys enjoy it.
> 
> let me know what you think of this idea?
> 
> love <3

_I've been dreaming_  
_of a true love's kiss_  
  
  
_And a prince_ _  
I'm hoping comes with this_

 

Once upon a time, in  
a magical kingdom known as Andalasia,

there lived an evil queen.  
  
Selfish and cruel,  
   
she lived in fear that one day  
her step son would marry,  
   
and she would  
lose her throne forever.  
  
And so, she did all in her power  
to prevent the prince from ever meeting  
   
the one special person with whom  
he would share true love's kiss.

 

-

 

Isak dreamt with what everyone wanted in Andalasia, and what most princes and princesses pursued their whole lives, sometimes lucky enough to find their lovers along the way. But, there were other times. Times where it wouldn't end well, and their paths never intertwined.

Isak could do nothing but pray for his destiny to be bright.

To love and to be loved back.

-

 

“Honey, do you really think your dream boy exists?”

“Oh, Eva. I know he's out there, somewhere”

 

-  
  
It arrived sooner than he'd ever imagined, and Jakob sure was everything he desired. Handsome, humble, generous, strong. Isak bursted into a thousand different colors every time they touched, or their eyes met.  
  
_Nothing could ruin this,_ he had thought, as Jakob dropped in one knee and asked the question Isak had been waiting for his entire life. "Yes, I'll marry you"  
  
-

 

Oh, he looked lovely. He shined as bright as the sun up in the sky and he knew it was because he was genuinely happy. Dressed in his own handmade suit, a gorgeous, golden crown on top of his head; Jakob waiting for him in the castle to chase their ever after together. Isak was beaming with excitement, and so he didn't slow down one bit when he started running, causing him to crash into someone, hard.

“I am so sorry” he apologized in a rush, stepping back slightly when the person showed their face “Oh, my”

An old, wrinkled lady was standing in front of him, a wicked smile on her face, her one and only rotten teeth biting on her bottom lip. She was crouched forward and it pained Isak just to see her posture, as it was unhealthy and probably the cause of her prominent hump, covered in her black robes, as well as her hair, the hood almost not letting him see her eyes.

“Look at you, dear. Lovely, lovely” her voice cracked several times, and it was more high pitched than Isak had initially thought it would be.

“That’s very kind of you, but I–”

“Oh, no! Granny has a wedding gift for you. The kingdom is happy to hear Prince Jakob has found his true love”

“Thank you,” Isak said, looking past the woman to the doors of the castle just mere meters away from him, “but I really should be going–”

She grabbed his hand out of nowhere, startling Isak slightly, “'Tis a wishing well, my dear” she spoke, as she pulled him further away from his dream.

Isak was known for being polite and never turning anyone down, listening carefully, paying attention to every word. This, though, was something else. He bit his lip, trying one last time.

“Oh! But, all my wishes are about to come true! I really do have to go”

“A wish on your wedding day,” the lady said, her hand motioning for Isak to come closer; long, bony fingers on his lower back as he walked slowly towards the edge, “That’s the most magical of all. Just close your eyes, my darling, and make your wish”

Isak gave up, clasping his hands together and putting them over his heart, closing his eyes tightly.

“That's right, that's right. Lean in close”

Isak sighed, a small smile taking over his face. He pictured himself walking into the castle and seeing Jakob waiting for him at the altar, the kiss, the celebration. Them becoming one, the strongest force on earth keeping them together. _Love._

“Are you wishing for something?” he heard. He nodded briefly.

“Yes, I am” Isak then lowered his volume, whispering only to the wishing well, “And they lived happily ever aft–”

 

-

 

“Where, my most adored queen, where did you send him?”

“To a place where there are no happily ever afters”

 

-

“I’m sorry, excuse me. I was wondering if one of you kind people might direct me to the castle?”

“Get out of the way!”

“How grumpy!”

 

-

  
It was Tiffany's birthday.  
  
Even didn't have enough time to go buy something well-thought, so he did a quick stop at the library and grabbed a book about great photographers of the 90's before picking his daughter up at her karate class.  
  
"Thanks" she said, when she opened the package inside the taxi. It wasn't as enthusiastic as Even expected "I... Thank you"  
  
"You like it?"  
  
"Yeah, I've always wanted a book about photography"  
  
"Awesome!"  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Remember when you explained to me what sarcasm was?"  
  
Even sighed and let his head fall back onto the seat. He looked at his daughter for a few seconds, moving his hand towards her and caressing her cheek. She smiled softly, "I'm sorry, love"  
  
"It's okay" she assured, leaving the book in between them, "Give me the money you wasted on that and I won't complain"  
  
Even laughed and Tiffany said "I'm serious!" before she started giggling as well, both of them earning a stern look from the driver.  
  
"I will make it up to you, I promise. I'll give you a castle, if that's what you want"  
  
Tiffany rolled her eyes, "Don't make promises you won't keep"  
  
The sentence was filled with nothing but fondness, still Even couldn't help but frown. She was right, after all. When was the last time Even did something of what he promised to her? Between his job, the house, he–  
  
– he had almost forgotten how much attention children need. How crucial it is for them to spend time with their parents, to feel they're there for them. He kept going to meetings, last minute photoshoots. This _wasn't_ what he wanted.

“Sonja will take you to school tomorrow. Just the two of you. For some grown up girl-bonding time”

“I’m only six"

“You won't always be”  
  
He _wanted_ to be present in his daughter's life, to give her the world; he wanted to gift her everything he could afford, every princess doll, even a real life–  
  
"Prince!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Tiffany climbed on his lap and pressed her chubby face against the cold window, pointing outside, "Dad, it's a prince!"  
  
"Honey–"  
  
"Look!" she grabbed Even's face with her tiny hands and pulled him down, pressing his face against the window too "Do you see him?"  
  
"Tiff, it's not–"  
  
Well, he did look like a prince. He was wearing a suit that (he supposed) was once dry and clean, but dirty and all wet by now, and a crown on top of his head. The boy was just walking back and forth on the edge of a sign and even though it had Even's heart on his throat to see him being so careless, he just wanted to leave.  
  
"It's not a prince" he finished, trying to sit Tiffany back down as he simultaneously

tried to take his wallet out.  
  
"He's wearing a crown! And did you see his hair? That was definitely prince hair!"  
  
"It's raining, and it's dark. For all we know, he could be bald"  
  
"But he's still a prince! And he looks like he needs help!"

“What are you doing? Tiffany, stop!”  
  
And with that, the little girl was out of the car, making Even jump out of his seat and giving him just enough time to apologize to the taxi driver and practically throw him the money to his face before running after her.  
  
"Tiffany, you can't do stuff like that. You almost killed me, and yourself. Do you know how dangerous–?”  
  
"Hello? Hi! Is anybody home? Do you know Jakob?”

Even looked up, a hand firmly on his daughter's shoulder to keep her calm by his side. The boy was shivering, knocking on the fake paperboard door of the billboard castle insistently, apparently not aware that there were people watching. Even was seriously wondering if that was all part of the advertisement.

“Hey, you!” Tiffany shouted before he could stop her. It seemed as a hand on her shoulder wasn't enough “Up there!”

The boy turned around, visibly happy, “Oh, hello!” he said, as he took a step forward “I was wondering if you– Ah!” ...and another one, way too excited to notice that there was not a stable surface to stand on anymore, slipping from the edge and taking ahold of it with his left hand as he fell, his heart beating hard inside his chest.

Even pushed Tiffany behind him as softly as he could, “Don't let go, wait! Tiffany, stay away”

“Dad, he's going to fall!” she exclaimed, worried.

Even moved closer, “Hang on!”

“Oh, no!” the boy screamed, his fingers slipping, too, and his arm hurting from the effort. He closed his eyes and wished for someone to catch him when he felt his hand grab nothing but air and knew he was falling again.

“Catch him, daddy!”

Even cursed under his breath, sprinting and extending his arms out just in time, the boy's body landing perfectly safe. He was still clutching his eyes shut, breathing heavily and holding on for dear life to Even's shirt. Tiffany cheered loudly from behind, and Even snapped back into reality, letting the boy down and going back to standing next to his daughter, who was grinning widely; eyes sparkling.

“Are you okay?” she asked. The boy looked around seemingly confused before nodding.

“Yes, I am fine”

“What were you doing up there?” she continued questioning, tilting her head to the side, “Can I touch your hair?”

“Tiffany" Even said sternly, “Don't”

“I was looking for some help” he answered, sitting crossed-legged on the floor and taking off his crown, putting it on his lap before nodding. Tiffany bounced happily towards him and Even, once again, couldn't stop her. She ran her fingers slowly through the boy’s hair as he spoke “You see, I've been wandering very far and long tonight, and I'm afraid nobody’s been very nice to me”

“Yeah, well,” Even chuckled dryly, “Welcome to New York”

For the thousandth time in the night, Even furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as the boy lit up immediately and smiled, “Thank you”

“Right” he picked Tiffany up, the little girl wanting to protest, but deciding against it when she saw her dad’s serious face, “You sure you're okay?” he repeated to the boy.

“Oh, yes” he replied.

“Do you need me to call someone for you?”

He blinked, frowning, “I don't think they'd hear you from here”

Even sighed, Tiffany laughed.

“What?”

 

-

 

“And then,” Isak told excitedly “the old hag told me to– oh!” he giggled as he bumped into Even, “Sorry. She told me to look into the well, and wish for my heart’s desire”

Tiffany looked at her dad momentarily, mouthing 'a prince’ and then going back to pulling Isak by his hand through the hallway as she listened to his story.

“I must have looked very far, because I fell. Down, down, down” he explained, crouching down with every word, and laughing softly when Tiffany imitated him, “And then” he stood up straight again, almost hitting Even “I climbed out of this big, round hole. And I got very lost”

“And you fell from the castle” Tiffany continued.

“And now you're with us” Even finished (not as happy as his daughter)

“Yes! The only kind hearts I could find in this strange land” he said; his eyes revealing how grateful he was “But I do not worry. Jakob must be on his way to rescue me, and he'll be here by morning”

“Jakob?” Tiffany asked, curious. Even pretended not to listen as he took out the keys to open the door.

“My prince” Isak sighed contently, “He'll come get me, and we will finally share our true love kiss”

“Oh. So you're…”

“This is the only thing I can offer you” Even interrupted, “Take your time to dry off, I'll see if I can get you a taxi”

“Oh, how lovely. That's nice of you” Isak said, walking inside but squealing when he felt something pull him backwards.

“Your, uh, suit is stuck in the handle. Don't move”

Tiffany watched as Isak stared at Even while he fought with the fabric and the door, and held back laughter when the boy fell on the floor after Even succeeded.

“Is this a habit of yours?” Even asked “Falling?”

“Usually, someone’s there to catch me”

 

-

 

“Your suit is pretty”

“I made it myself!”

“Really?”

“Well, the mice and rabbits helped a little”

 

-

 

Even looked through his office, trying to find the phone to call a cab for the very strange guy sitting on his couch. He rubbed his forehead with his index and thumb, already feeling the killing headache coming.

“Can't he spend the night here, daddy?”

He looked at his daughter, hopeful eyes and pouty lips.

“That's a big no”

 

-

 

“Dad”

“No”

“Daddy”

“I’m busy, I need to find the phone”

“I just–”

“Tiff, please”

“He's really sleepy”

“Oh, no. No, no”

 

-

 

_Mice. Rabbits. A castle. A kingdom. His prince. The crown on his head._

He could be fucking high, maybe he had smoked some hard drug and they found him on his worst phase, when it hits badly and leaves you… Like that.

He couldn't. It wasn't safe. He was a stranger, who was probably drugged and would go crazy when he woke up in a place he didn't know.

He dialled the taxi number.

Isak snored softly and Even bit his lip. He looked so harmless, lying there. His hands pillowing his head and his curls falling tenderly over his face; the crown resting on the tip of his nose.

“Hello, sir. Destination, please”

He would never admit it to someone, but he smiled. He looked at the boy curled up in a ball, and smiled.

“Sir?”

He hanged up.


	2. people on tv are not trapped inside it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two! hope you enjoy, kudos and comments are always appreciated. <3

_ My other half, _ __   
_ my one coquette, _ __   
__   
__ __   
_ the answer _ _   
_ __ to my love's duet .

  
  


Even couldn't sleep.

He had asked Tiffany to sleep with him, because even though he had let the boy stay, he was still wary of him. He laid next to his daughter for hours, looking up at the ceiling and jumping from the mattress every time he heard a noise, associating it immediately to Isak doing something, but quickly realizing that it was coming from outside. Just New York being New York. And just Even being paranoid.

He got up around 4 a.m, tired of fooling around on bed and afraid to wake Tiffany up with his incapacity to sleep. When he had his slippers on, he walked slowly to the kitchen, visibly relaxing when he passed Isak by and saw the boy still sleeping, the crown now on the floor and his mouth hanging wide open; soft, little snores coming out of it.

Even started making himself a cup of coffee, wincing when the coffee machine made too much noise. He took a look from behind the kitchen door, half of his face hidden by it, and sighed when he made sure that all the mess hadn’t woke anyone up.

When he was done he stood in the kitchen, his body leaning against the door frame, not able to decide what to do. He wasn't going to sleep anytime soon, and he could watch some more Supernatural episodes to catch up with the show, but the TV was in the living room, and Isak was sleeping there, and that's what made Even doubt for almost fifteen minutes, the cup of coffee growing colder and colder by every minute.

Ah, fuck it, he thought, positioning the armchair far enough from Isak but near the TV, sitting with his knees up, pressed to his chest, and the cup of coffee still between his hands, on the verge of being too cold to drink.

 

-

 

He heard him yawn right when the last episode of season 5 was finishing. Even pressed pause and looked at Isak rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, his brows furrowed in confusion when he opened them, scanning the room he was in.

_ Oh no. _

But there were no screams, throwing stuff around, or asking Even where the fuck was he, as Even thought it would. Instead, Isak smiled softly when his eyes landed on him, and he yawned again before whispering, “Good morning”

Saying that Even was surprised was an understatement, and saying that Isak didn't look sweet and innocent fighting to stay awake was the biggest lie someone could ever tell.

“It's not time to wake up yet” he said, moving his eyes back to the TV when he noticed he was staring too much, “It's like, 6 a.m, Tiff and I usually wake up in an hour”

He could feel Isak's eyes burning his skull, and he was pretty sure he was starting to sweat. Why was he so nervous around him?

“You couldn't sleep?” the boy asked, his voice with a tint of concern in it.

“Rough night” he replied, leaving the cup on the coffee table and standing up, turning off the TV.

“Oh!”

Even raised an eyebrow at him, and watched as Isak put his hands over his mouth.

“Are you okay?”

“What is that?”

If Even wasn't so sleepy, he probably would've known right away that he referred to the TV. But, as he knitted his eyebrows in confusion even more, he asked back, “What's what?”

“The… Magic box you touched”

_ Magic box. _

_ Maybe the drugs still have effect on him. _

_ What kinda drugs did he consume? _

“It's… A television”

“Television” Isak repeated under his breath, his hands now on his chest, and his eyes wide, “It's amazing. What do you use it for?”

He couldn't tell if it was a joke. Maybe Isak would start laughing mid-way through the explanation and say 'dude, you should've looked at your face, did you really think I didn't know what a TV was?’

“Uh… You can watch shows in it. Or movies”

“Movies. What are those?”

_ Okay. _

It was going to be a long talk.

 

-

 

He finished explaining the TV (and movies, and shows, and actors, and celebrities, and hollywood, and basically everything) at 7:10. Isak listened to him carefully, his full attention on the way Even's lips moved and his hands gestured during his speech.

It was endearing, his behaviour. Jumping from excitement when something was interesting to him, leaning forward when he got too caught up with Even explaining what Supernatural was about. It made Even frown at first (his eyebrows didn't separate for at least half an hour) but it slowly started to make him smile, or huff a laugh. Isak grinned every time Even showed him those kind of expressions.

He told him he could use the shower while he woke Tiffany up and dressed her for school, and he was relieved when Isak just thanked him and didn't ask what a shower was, too.

Tiffany was still in a deep sleep when Even entered the room again. He sat next to her and moved her hair out of her face with his hand, smiling softly at her sleepy face, “Good morning, baby. Wake up”

“Five more minutes” she pleaded, burrowing her face in the pillow.

“No more minutes. It's already late, I got distracted”

“I’m mad at you”

Even chuckled, his hand still caressing her back slowly, “Why’s that?”

“You made prince Isak leave” before Even could even open his mouth, she continued “What if he's out there, up another sign or something? And he falls again? But you're not there to catch him? And we're not there to offer him a place to  _ dry off his clothes _ ” she said, mocking him, “So, I'm mad”

“Well, that's a shame” Even exclaimed, standing up from bed and starting to open his drawers to look for his clothes, “Because he's still here. I'm sure he wouldn't like seeing you mad”

“What!?”

 

-

 

“He's singing in the shower”

“Is he a good singer?”

“Yes, very. Are you making pancakes?”

“Yes”

“Good. I think he'll like them"

“Why do you think that?”

“He seems like he likes pancakes”

 

-

 

“Isak?”

“Come in!”

“Yeah, can I…”

Even opened the door, immediately covering his eyes when the shower curtain moved, afraid to see Isak… well, naked. It was worse, though, when he removed them and watched as two doves helped wrap a towel around Isak's body.

“Thank you” he whispered to the birds, and they fucking  _ nodded  _ before heading out of the bathroom through the window.

_ What _ .

Even was going to have a heart attack at any minute. Now, he started to wonder if  _ he _ was on drugs, and this was all just some big hallucination.

“Is this a dream?” he said, mostly to himself. Isak smiled.

“This room is magical, too” the boy exclaimed, pointing at the shower “Like the tel– televi... sion”

Isak looked at himself in the mirror and tilted his head to the side, but quickly fixed his gaze back on Even, “Where does the water come from?”

“From the… the pipes”

“And where do the pipes get it?”

“Uh, I don't know…” just as he didn't know why he was still standing with Isak half naked in front of him in the bathroom “From wherever the pipes get it”

It was the stupidest answer he had ever given to someone, yet Isak looked just as shocked as when he had told him the people on TV weren't trapped inside it.

“Oh. It is magical”

 

-

 

“Hi, girlfriend”

“Hi, Sonja”

“Ready to kick it?”

“Kick, what?”

“Did your dad not tell you? I’m taking you to school today! Have you had breakfast yet?”

“Uh, no. It's been pretty busy around here”

 

-

 

Even knew this looked horrible.

Isak's habit of falling had made an appearance again when they both tried to grab the mop to clean the bathroom floor at the same time, and the slippery surface had made both of them fall.

Even on his back, Isak on him; both of his legs on each side of Even's hips. He giggled, apologized, and Even was fine until he looked to the side and saw Sonja standing at the door, her bag hanging loosely from her fingers and a shocked look on her face.

“Sonja–”

“Who's this?”

Before Even could do anything, Isak was on his feet again, walking towards Sonja with a hand extended to greet her, “I’m Isak! I was on my way–”

Even stood up as fast as he could, running to get in between Isak and Sonja and prevent the boy from getting too close to her, “He's nobody” he said, looking at her with pleading eyes,  _ please believe me _ , but she seemed  _ too _ mad.

“– to the castle to get married...”

“He's married!?”

“No, he's not”

“Not yet!” Isak clarified, and Even felt the urge to get him back into the bathroom and lock him there forever.

“What does that mean, not yet?” Sonja asked, her chest going up and down with every heavy, angry breath she took.

“He was lost, I was trying to help!”

“With what, finding the shower?”

“The shower!” Isak interrupted again, “It was something wonderful, Sonja!”

Sonja looked at him utterly ultraged, “I’m sure it was”

“That's enough” Even turned around to him and looked at the boy angrily, “Please go get dressed”

“I don't have–”

“Take something from my room, I don't care. Just leave me alone with her a little, please. Go”

 

-

 

“I never stay the night because we both agreed, Tiffany's here, and you have to maintain boundaries, and I said  _ oh, i'm so lucky, he's sensitive!  _ I didn't realize you were worried about crowd control”

“We'll talk about this, please? Okay?”

“Don't bet on it”

“What about taking Tiffany to school? Grown up, girl-bonding time?”

“So what, you can have more bonding time with that… that  _ guy _ ?”

“It's not–”

“Goodbye”

 

-

 

Even wandered through the living room for five minutes, cursing under his breath, telling himself it was a bad idea since the beginning, but  _ no _ , he had to listen to his heart instead of his mind for once and let him stay.

He was mad at himself. At Isak, for being so… so him. So cute, and innocent, and sweet and caring and a fucking  _ prince. _ He was so mad at everything, busy finding a way to get Sonja to talk to him again, that he almost forgot he needed to drop Tiff at school and go to work.

And, that Isak was still in his room.

When he opened the door, he found Isak sitting on his bed, turning the lamp on and off repeatedly. He was dressed (thank God) in sweatpants and a hoodie, both Even's, and they looked big on him.

“She's lovely” Isak commented from his spot, still too focused on the light to look at him.

“You need to go”

The boy looked up at him and frowned, but he didn't say anything for a while. He just scanned Even's face with his eyes, until his expression softened, and Isak finally opened his mouth, “You’re unhappy”

He ignored the boy and proceeded, “I don't know what your deal is, and if this Prince Charming–”

“Prince Jakob” Isak corrected. Even took a deep breath to avoid screaming at him, too scared the boy could start crying if he did.

“Prince  _ Whatever _ . I'll get you to a bus, a plane, a train, a bike with training wheels, wherever I can and you'll be out. I can't help you anymore. That's it”

Isak stayed silent again, suddenly standing up and, to Even's surprise, hugging him tightly, “You're  _ so _ unhappy. I am sorry”

He didn't know how to react. He was sure he had gasped as soon as he realized what Isak was about to do, and again when Isak wrapped his arms around his body and pressed his cheek against his chest.

Even's arms were just there, hanging by his side. A part of him wanted to hug him back, but he listened to his mind again, as the last time he payed attention to his heart he had made a terrible, terrible, mistake.

“I’m not unhappy. I’m angry” he sighed, even though he wasn't sure that was still true.

“Angry?” Isak questioned, confused, lifting up his head to look at him in the eyes, his chin now touching Even's chest.

“Angry. It's an unpleasant emotion, have you heard of it?” he meant for it to come out mad, but it ended up sounding extremely fond.

“Angry! Yes, I've heard–”

Even detached the boy from his body and took a step back, putting some space between them in hopes that his head would stop filling itself with Isak and more with what he was angry about two minutes ago.

“You've created an unnecessary problem with Sonja that I now have to resolve. She's my… kinda, girlfriend, and she thinks you and I–”

“Kissed?”

Even bit his lip, wondering how on earth was he supposed to stay mad at the most innocent person he had ever met, besides Tiffany– though he really thought Isak won in innocency.

“Yeah. Something like that”

“Oh no… You should sing to her!” Isak giggled, a wide grin on his face, clapping excitedly at his idea.

“Sing to her?”

“And, maybe that would reassure her of your affections!” he continued, too into it to stop by now “You need to rush to her side,” Isak demonstrated the action by doing so himself, rushing to Even's side “And hold her in your arms” just as a few seconds ago, Isak's arms were back on Even's torso “Then pour your heart out in a beautiful ballad” he finished, swinging them side to side and humming a soft tune.

Another habit of Isak's seemed to be to leave people speechless. Or at least leave  _ Even _ speechless, every single time they exchanged some words, with every sentence that left his lips.

“Why are you staring at me?”

The alarm he had set for that morning saved him from answering, and gave him a perfect excuse to stay away from Isak and rush him and Tiffany, who had been eating pancakes peacefully all that time, to the door.

“School! We're late for school! We've got to run!”

  
  
  
  



	3. love is not as sweet

_My heart is sighing_   
_Still, as long as I am here_   
  
  
_I guess a new experience_ _  
_ Could be worth trying

  


Even loved being a photographer.

Since he was a kid he had had an enormous attraction towards capturing the beauty of things, mostly through his drawings. He would look at his mom cooking and try to transmit her concentrated expression to a sheet of paper, or his dog’s napping position; even those dandelions on his neighbour’s backyard. His colored pencils and sketchbooks were his best friends during long years of his childhood.

Until, that is, he put his hands on a camera when he was fourteen. It felt _right_ to hold it in his hands, to press the silver button on top and know that the moment had been saved, forever there for people to see.

That's why he decided he was going to take this as a hobby, that later turned into something more serious and ended up being his professional career. He was Even Bech Næsheim, a well-known photographer in New York usually hired to take pictures of newly-weds or soon-to-be newly-weds.

He loved his job, really, but not when he had a boy gasping at every sound in the reception, running around the office and not letting him do what he had to do in peace.

Even didn't have other choice but to let him tag along, since he couldn't take care of himself out in the real world and Even kinda felt like he was responsible of him now (even though Isak looked like he was in his twenties; a grown up that should be good in New York – but acted like a character straight out of a disney movie, instead)

“Sana!” he called, when the receptionist of the agency made her way through the doors and around her desk. She sat behind it, opening a folder and sharpening a pencil as she smiled at Even.

“Hello, Even”

“I need your help. But first, please tell me Mrs. Hellerud isn't here”

“I can't do that”

Even took a brief glance at Isak and watched as he stood right in front of the big windows, poking the glass with his index finger. _Breathe, Even_.

“Why not?”

"Because that'd be lying. She's here”

“Fuck”

“Up there” she said, as she lowered her gaze down to the mess of papers in front of her again and pointed at the room on the first floor at the same time; Vilde and Magnus visible through the glass.

“Oh, no. Magnus”

“Yes, Mr. Fossbakken is here too. What did you need help with?”

Sana put her hands under her chin and her elbows on the table, a kind, small smile on her face. Even was glad she was there, and even more glad that she was such a good, good friend.

“See that guy?” he started, looking at Isak. Sana nodded.

“Who's he?”

“No idea. I'm pretty sure he's from out of town”

Sana sighed, already sensing the favor wasn't going to be as simple as she had thought, “What do I do?”

“Find out where he's from, and get him there. Make it something cheap, money doesn't grow in my fucking bonsai”

“You have a bonsai?”

“That's what you got from all of that?”

Sana shook her head. She ripped a sheet off of her notebook and grabbed a pen, “Will do, captain. Bring him here"

Even would've jumped over the desk and hugged Sana tightly if it weren't for his lateness with Vilde and Magnus’ photoshoot. He blew her a kiss, instead, and walked towards the boy, who was currently watching the fish tank with wide eyes, following their movements with his head.

“Isak,” he called.

“Oh, hi again, Even” Isak giggled, looking up at him just for a second before going back to his new fish friends.

Something happened inside Even's stomach when Isak said his name out loud but he decided to associate it with not having eaten breakfast rather than… The other thing that came up on his mind.

“Please, come here? I have a friend I’d like you to meet” he explained, looking back at Sana and smiling when she gave him a thumbs up but frowning when he turned around and saw Isak drinking water from the tank “Don't do that, Isak. Don't drink that”

Isak put the plastic cup down guiltily and rushed to his side, taking his hand; making Even's stomach do that thing _again_ and making Even think _damn, I really need to eat something_. He stood there frozen until he remembered what he had approached Isak for; probably the reason the boy held his hand.

Sana's amused eyes didn't go unnoticed by Even, but he decided to ignore it completely and just make blondie sit down next to her so he could finally leave to the photoshoot as quickly as possible with a last thank you to Sana and a wave goodbye to Isak.

 

-

 

“I’m sorry, woke up late and the traffic–”

“We're not getting married anymore. Save the excuses”

He certainly wasn't expecting _that_ to be the first thing for Vilde to say to him as soon as he opened the door. Magnus scoffed from a corner of the plain white room and Vilde looked at him angrily.

“Is this because I was late?” he dumbly asked, the camera hanging from his neck and the couple sighing at the same time.

“No, Even. It's because Magnus is a dick”

“Excuse me”

Mr. Fossbakken took two steps to stand next to Vilde and raised his arms in frustration, accompanying the gesture with an _I can't believe this_ expression.

“I don't even know why I’m supposedly a dick!”

“Oh, c'mon!”

Even was so uncomfortable and he felt like he shouldn't be there, listening to their argument and standing uselessly in the middle of the room.

“You guys were okay last time I saw you…”

“You know why you're a dick!” Vilde shouted, as if Even hadn’t opened his mouth.

“I just said I don't!”

“Don’t play that card with me, do you think I'm stupid?”

“What card!?”

Even wished for the ground to swallow him whole as he slid down the wall and sat on the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest and letting his head fall on his hands.

 

-

 

Isak had a fish in his mouth.

He spat it out in Sana's glass of water after she introduced herself and asked for his name, and although it was unusual, she just found it funny and, well, impressive.

“That’s talent right there”

“I’m Isak!” the boy finally answered, brightly.

“Isak!” Sana mocked him, trying to imitate the pitch of his voice and the amount of excitement in it “As I already told you, I’m Sana. I work with Even, and he asked me to–”

“Oh, Even” Isak sighed contentedly, “He has the purest soul I've ever came across”

“Right. He asked–”

“And Tiffany!” he continued, “She's lovely. An angel in a little girl’s body. She says she loves princes”

“That's nice. But I–”

“I'm not a prince yet”

Sana frowned, “Okay. Can you do me a favor?”

Isak nodded.

“Shut up for a second. Tell me where you live”

“Andalasia. It's a–”

“Let's do short answers for now. Where is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“What country?”

“I'm sorry–”

“Continent?”

“I don't–”

“Stop” she scribbled something down on the sheet of paper from before with one hand and pushed the glass of water towards Isak with the other “Take care of fishy fish while I do this. Name it if you want”

“Fish!”

“Simple and straight to the point. I like it”

 

-

 

_“Have you found him yet?”_

_“I’m afraid I haven't, My Lady”_

_“We can't risk my stepson bringing the boy back. He shan’t. I intend to make absolutely certain of that”_

_“How exactly…? Oh. Poisoned apples, my queen…”_

_“Just one bite. That's all it takes”_

 

-

 

“They're not getting married!”

“Andalasia doesn't exist!”

“Wait, what?”

Sana made her laptop’s screen face Even and pointed at the empty google search, “Google has everything. I've never gotten an empty google search before. What is this? What is _he_?”

“What's Andalasia? Why are you happy?”

Sana rolled her eyes as she closed her laptop and sent a look over her shoulder, making sure Isak, who was back next to the fish tank again, letting Fish go back to his friends, wasn't listening.

“It's Isak's native town, I suppose. That's what he told me. And I'm not happy, I’m interested. This is something _else_ ” she explained.

“He must be lying” Even exclaimed; it seemed like the only logical explanation he could find.

“Why would he lie?” Sana asked, “He's so naive to everything, I don't think he has the capacity to lie”

“Then you must’ve heard wrong”

“Even,” Sana said, serious tone and expression. The whole combo that made Even understand he _had_ to listen to her “Andalasia doesn't exist”

“Oh, no"

“And Isak's playing with Vilde’s hair”

“Oh, no!”

Even face-palmed himself as he watched how Isak ran his fingers through Vilde's hair, talking to her at the same time. He looked at Sana, who shrugged, and started to make his way towards his clients, and his… Whatever.

“You're so beautiful!” Isak complimented. Vilde blushed, a soft shade of pink painting her cheeks.

“Oh, well. Thank you very much”

“The man who holds your heart  
is a lucky fellow indeed” he continued, nodding along his words.

Vilde laughed dryly, “You try telling him that”

Isak frowned, “Oh, but. I’m certain he already knows”

Magnus cleared his throat from behind them, where he was leaning against the wall, “Excuse me?”

“Are you him?” Isak asked, standing now in between the two, and pulling Magnus closer by his sleeve, “Oh, you're lucky. Look at the way her eyes sparkle. It's no wonder you're in love!”

Even winced with the last sentence, taking long steps to reach them faster, and put his arm over Isak's shoulders when he got close enough to pull him away from them, and towards him, “I got it! I'm sorry. I'm really, really–”

“Even!” Isak screamed, smiling (always smiling) and grabbing the hand that rested on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, “Aren’t they lovely?”

Even was starting to think he would never be able to get used to Isak's sudden touches. Not that he wanted to get used to them. Or for Isak to touch him. _Not at all_ , but it would be better if he could receive those without gasping all the time.

“It's not like that, alright. They're not together anymore. They're separating” he whispered, but Isak's reaction wasn't as discret.

“For how long?”

“Forever”

Isak froze. His eyes were wide open and he looked at Even shocked, then Magnus and Vilde (who looked as confused as him) then back to Even again.

“Forever, ever?” he asked.

“Shhh. Yes”

“Oh, no” Isak sobbed, his eyes starting to water and tears getting ready to fall down his face. Even groaned as he pulled him into a hug, hoping it would calm the boy down.

“Is he crying?” Vilde asked.

“No”

“Yes, I am!” Isak exclaimed, hugging Even back but not stopping his sadness from getting noticed “It's so, so sad. I can't help it”

“Is this a joke?” Magnus said, stepping back in pain when Vilde slapped his chest, “Ouch! What was that for?”

“Don't be an insensitive asshole” she reprimanded him.

“I’m just asking!”

“Isak, c'mon” Even begged, separating his body from the boy’s a little to look at him in the eyes, “Stop this, people are in pain here”

“Of course they're in pain!”

His volume was considerably loud now, and Even was getting nervous by just thinking his boss could enter the building at any time and find the scene on display. He eyed Sana and hoped for her to see the desperation and the call for help in his pupils.

“They're separating, for the rest of their lives!” Isak followed his speech, full-on crying now “They want to marry each other one day, and then not! What is this?”

Even didn't wait for him to finish before he started pulling him with him, walking to the exit. Sana smiled to Magnus and Vilde and made them sit down so she could explain the situation (was there a way to make it sound not-so-weird?) and hopefully make them leave the agency without a bad impression of it. _Another thing I have to thank Sana for, tomorrow._

“Why would they…?”

“It's reality, Isak!” he exploded, when they were finally outside, on the sidewalk “Love is… It's…”

“Ev–”

“Love is not as sweet as your fairytales make it seem”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter three! i honestly cant stop writing this, im already too into it haha. kudos and comments always appreciated <3 hope you enjoy!


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